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Buying and playing a didgeridoo
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Didgeridoos
, the simple wooden instruments whose eerie sound perfectly evokes the mysteries of Aboriginal Australia, have become phenomenally popular souvenirs in the last couple of years, with many vendors offering to pack and ship them to your home for free (expect a three-month delivery time to Europe). Authentic didges are created by termite-hollowed branches of trees and are considered to be indigenous to the Katherine region (where they can also be cheaper to buy). Minuscule, bamboo and even painted fibreglass didges have found their way onto the market, but a real didge is a natural tube of wood with a rough interior. Painted versions haven't got any symbolic meaning; plain ones look less tacky and are less expensive. Branches being what they are, every didge is different but if you're considering playing it rather than hanging it over the fireplace, aim for one around 1.3m in length with a 30-40mm diameter mouthpiece. Beeswax is often used to bring an oversize didge's mouthpiece down to an operable size, but a didge with a body of the right diameter and without wax can feel nicer to use. The bend doesn't affect the sound but the length and wall thickness (ideally around 10mm) does - avoid cumbersome, thick-walled items which get in the way of your face and sound flat.
You'll be surprised that making the right sound instead of an embarrassing raspberry will take only a few minutes of persistence; the key is to hum while letting your pressed lips flap, or vibrate, with the right pressure behind them - it's easier using the side of your mouth. The tricky bit - beyond the ability of most initiates - is to master circular breathing; this entails refilling your lungs through your nose while maintaining the sound with air expelled from your cheeks. A good way to get your head round this concept is to blow or "squirt" bubbles into a glass of water with a straw, while simultaneously inhaling through the nose. Unless you get the hang of circular breathing you'll be limited to making the same lung's worth of droning again and again. Most outlets that sell didges also sell tapes and CDs and inexpensive "how to" booklets which offer hints on the mysteries of circular breathing and how to emit advanced sounds using your vocal chords. The Sounds of Starlight show in Todd Mall (Nov-April Tues-Sat 7pm; $15) features Alice didge impressario Andrew Landford and friends and gives you a good chance to hear what can be done with a didge as well as being an entertaining night out. You'll also be given a free lesson afterwards, if you want. And finally, remember that there is nothing magical about a didgeridoo; it's your lips that make the sound, which resonates through the tube - any tube. A length of grey 40mm PVC pipe from Mitre 10 may not have the same kudos but produces a similar sound at around $4 a metre Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Australia,
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